CHAPTER 21: I NEED TO LEVEL UP, SO I’LL HIRE A MAID

".....Sama..... Ord Seiou... Please hold on, Lord Seiou."

Princess Ellis’s voice brought me back to my senses.

I seemed to be lying on a sofa, probably one from the sewing workshop.

Around me, looking at me with concern, were Princess Ellis, Officer Mia who must have arrived later, and Reina’s face as well.

"Wha-What happened to me?"

"You suddenly fainted and you were unconscious for about thirty minutes."

Princess Ellis answered. It seemed I had suddenly lost consciousness.

"You used too much magic in one day for your low level!"

The little fairy, Macaron suddenly appeared and explained.

"If you overuse magic, you get side effects, and in the worst case, you could die, so be careful."

"I see, MP depletion..."

The last time I summoned all that lotion must have drained my MP.

"To be precise, it’s not MP, it’s SP depletion."

"Huh? What does SP stand for?"

"It stands for Stamina Points."

"Stamina Points..."

What a terrible abbreviation.

"As your level increases, your SP increases too. You have no choice but to level up to use your magic for more time."

"Yeah I got it but... the way to level up is..."

"You need to do sexual things."

"Ugh..."

That’s right, isn’t it? Well, it’s better than being told to defeat strange goofy monsters.

"But it’s not just about doing it. It has to be with a woman who is compatible with you, the ’Sex King,’ and who has loyalty and affection, or the effect will be low."

Sigh, so many requirements for something that just requires pushing in and pulling out.

"Anyway, I really need to level up to increase my SP."

If I can’t create items on a larger scale, it’s over. If I can’t use sex magic and item creation, rebuilding the business will literally be mission impossible on steroids.

"In that case, I suggest hiring a floor maid."

Princess Ellis, who had been listening, answered with a smile.

"What’s a floor maid?"

"It’s a maid who is given a room on the same floor as her noble master and serves them. Though of lower status, they hold a position similar to a concubine, so they’re also called concubine maids."

"Hmm...."

It’s odd to talk about concubines when I’m not even married, but if it’s the custom of this world, I have no choice.

"I get the concubine part, but why a maid?"

"Lord Seiou, you’re a noble with the rank of baron, so you need someone to clean your mansion. And besides, don’t you just love maids who provide sexual services? I’m sure your level will go up a lot with that."

"You don’t have to say all that out loud."

How does she know I like maids?

More importantly, I didn’t want to have this kind of erotic chit-chat in front of Reina, even if Officer Mia was fine with it.

Sure enough, Reina looked uncomfortable, her cheeks flushed, and she stayed silent the whole time.

"Leave it to me. I’ll make sure to convince the perfect match for Lord Seiou."

"Alright, I’ll leave it to you."

Princess Ellis seemed oddly confident about it. So for now, I let her handle it to end the topic.

"More importantly, who were those soldiers earlier?"

"They were led by Rodri, a platoon leader of the garrison. He’s known as the most ill-behaved and notorious man in the garrison."

Officer Mia answered.

"It seems he took advantage of the royal guard negotiating with the garrison commander and stormed the workshop. It was likely his own decision. He’s known for acting on his own, not obeying his superiors."

"Hmm...."

So, a platoon leader acted on his own. Discipline is the lifeblood of an army. If true, this is just a hopeless military.

"What kind of man is the garrison commander?"

"His name is Gejin. He’s rough and forceful, but you can quite reason with him."

Officer Mia said that, but I’m skeptical.

(If he’s in cahoots with the garrison commander, that commander is quite the schemer...)

It would mean he instructed Rodri to plunder while the royal guard was distracted with him.

Either way, the root of this country’s problems runs deep, and solving them will take time.

"For now, we can’t stay here. Let’s return to the castle."

"Then, Lord Seiou, please head to the mansion. I have things to do here."

Princess Ellis said she’d stay at the sewing workshop. So I was eventually led by Officer Mia to the mansion that would be my residence from now on.

---

"Here is the mansion."

By the time Officer Mia guided me to the mansion, the sun had long set. I checked the time on my smartphone, it was already 7:00 p.m.

As expected from a declining country, the mansion they gave me was predictably small.

(It’s about the size of a large Japanese house.)

It’s too big for just me, but too small to call a proper mansion. Let’s just call it a mansion anyways.

Still, it’s big enough that I’d want a maid to clean it.

"The princess sent word. Someone will come to apply as a floor maid."

"I see, got it."

"I have work to do, so I’ll leave now. The princess will come to visit you tomorrow Lord Seiou."

With that, Officer Mia left me in the guest room and returned to the castle. It seemed no one would be present for my meeting with this applicant.

(They’re not even considering that I might refuse. They must be very confident in their own choice.)

I waited alone on the sofa.

The person applying to be the floor maid for me, the rumored Sex King, was probably one of the girls from the brothel. I wasn’t in a position to be picky, so I planned to accept whoever came.

Macaron said loyalty and compatibility were important, but I’d have to overlook that for now.

(It might feel like a duty, but a professional shouldn’t have an issue.)

Still, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. I swallowed hard, watching for the applicant to enter.

*Creak*

The door opened hesitantly.

When I saw the person who walked in, my eyes widened, and I froze on the spot.